#autumn witchcraft
Potions for Autumn
(Originally taught on The Alexandria Archives 10/26/2019)
Witchcraft in the kitchen is the art of combining a food or drink process and magical intention and correspondences. Whether it be by stirring, cutting, heating, kneading, or even chilling! Anything you make can be imbued with intention by deliberate actions or the combination of flavors you add. Correspondences doesn’t have to mean a specific ingredient; it just needs to be a specific association.
Ways of doing this:
- spices, herbs: adding ones that have specific correspondences to what your intention is
- stirring energy in or out: drawing and banishing with your own motions and personal energy
- kneading energy into dough
- cutting or brushing on sigils
- letting an element do the energy work: the heat of a stove top or oven, the chilling of a fridge or freezer, the brewing of a kettle or crockpot
When it comes to Autumn it’s about the celebration of harvest and the warmth you bring into the house in dishes rather than outside temperature. There are a lot of ways to do this and many intentions can be focused on: health, prosperity, creativity, luck, love, etc.
The best way to incorporate the energies of Autumn is to think about what the season means to you in the kitchen. Is it about the rich warmth of stews and soups? The umami flavors of root vegetables? The scent of spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom? The texture of caramelized apples, onions, or squash? Is it about certain drinks like cider or mulled wine?
And even if you don’t have memories of specific Autumn associations or you live in an area that doesn’t have a classic sort of change into a fall season; build your own! What helps you sort of wind down for the day? What gives you comfort and peace? That is the sort of food you should be focusing on. Much like spring and summer are about light, energizing and crisp foods; fall and winter are about those richer, unctuous and warming flavors. Foods that you want to curl up with and be lazy; enjoy at a slow pace while Netflix babbles in the background. Pair with a movie marathon and the company of a loved one or pet.
Easy Autumn kitchen witchcraft:
- Carving a pumpkin and roasting the seeds (toss with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic or paprika powder and a touch of Worcestershire sauce)
- Mulling cider or wine (use a coffee filter for the mulling spices for easy cleanup!)
- Crockpot stews and soups
- Spiced cookies like molasses or gingersnaps
- Herbed (or pumpkin or apple!) butter with a simple loaf of homemade bread
- Roasted fall veggies like potatoes, squash, pumpkin, onions, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts
When it comes to more elaborately planned Autumn kitchen witchcraft, you might plan a special multi-course meal on a specific day where you have extra time to spend in the kitchen. It doesn’t have to be Master Chef level- even just a simple starter of homemade bread with a spread and pasta with homemade sauce (or “jazzed up” jarred sauce- no shame!) and cupcakes for dessert counts!
Don’t discount the chemical changes! Think about the intention you are going for and what would be the best method to achieve that, element-wise. I wouldn’t make a frozen dessert to bring luck or wealth into your life- you’re more likely to freeze it in its tracks! But if you’re looking to freeze an illness or soothe grief or a heartbreak- a chilly dessert is just the thing. I wouldn’t use a stew or soup for banishing or cleansing; those flavors have to meld and heat low and slow and draw everything together. Think about the action of the dish and the action of your intention and plan accordingly!
Let’s not discount the emotional feel of a dish either. Food is love; food is memory; food is home; food is the soul and heart and head all wrapped up. It can be a complicated relationship for sure. But it can also be a rewarding one if you approach it from the direction you most need.Feel free to start with teas that have a more Autumn flavor. Build into simple raw snacks like apples, pears, salads, nuts, seeds. Feel how the season gives light and love to your body as it fuels it. You don’t need to create a decadent high calorie meal in order to reap the feelings of fall.
Autumn is also a great time to try out some fermentation sided witchcraft. The life cycle of nature is winding down- mushrooms are rampant in forests, fallen trees soften and feed the ground. You could begin a bread starter, a mead or beer, or make some pickles! Or of course; there’s always fire cider! ( https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/fire-cider ). Preparing to avoid illness and discomfort during the colder months is an inherent part of the shift in kitchen witchcraft as well.
Don’t push yourself too much; often cooler temps and less sunlight makes the desire to spend a lot of time in the kitchen mixed at best. That’s okay. It isn’t a competition or a race. A simple cup of tea or even a glass of water can be set in the windowsill for a moment to charge with the fall energy before drinking. Still counts! A piece of toast or a bowl of cereal can have honey swirled onto it with intent (think about making an infused honey with spices or herbs!). Still counts. As I say; you are the Witch, you are the Power, you are the Magic.
The rest is just the plating presentation of what’s already a fantastic meal.
(Fall fruits and vegetables list: https://www.thespruceeats.com/fall-fruits-and-vegetables-2217704)
